Windows Azure Learning Plan: Getting Started

January 26, 2012 1 Comment

Now that you’ve built your Windows Azure Development Environment, you might ask: what’s next?

If you’re new to Windows Azure and keen to get started on the right foot, your next step is to get some hands-on experience developing and deploying on the platform, and the Windows Azure Training Kit is here to help. In it, you’ll find a rich set of documentation, information and to my point: Hands-on Labs. So once you install the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit .. what’s first?

The WATK installs in the C:\WATK folder by default and creates a desktop default.htm icon. Double-clicking on the icon will open the home page with the links to the documents and labs.

So. Let’s get started:

  • Virtually all coding projects have a “hello world” application, and the WATK is no exception. If you’re new to Visual Studio 2010 as well as Windows Azure, start with “Introduction to Windows Azure”. In it, you’ll explore basic elements of a Windows Azure application.
  • Next, spin through “Building ASP.NET Applications with Windows Azure“, which has examples of MVC and Web Form applications.
  • Once your site is built, how do you get it into the cloud? The WATK provides a lab for this, called “Deploying Applications in Windows Azure”. In it, you’ll see how to deploy an ASP.NET MVC application three different ways.
  • Web sites and web applications hosted in Windows Azure are a little different than sites hosted on physical servers, in that local binary storage may not be attached to a physical drive (unless you include it in your project, which isn’t always practical if you have large, static binary assets). Windows Azure uses three types of storage: blobs, tables and queues, with which you can master in the “Exploring Windows Azure Storage” lab. Blobs are for binary data, tables are for structured (but not relational) data (rows and columns) and queues support application elasticity by providing a place to collect messages (transactions) quickly in times of high load.
  • Many sites are data-driven, and Windows Azure supports this with SQL Azure: database services in the cloud. To help you learn about SQL Azure, the WATK has a lab: “Introduction to SQL Azure”. Want to go deeper? You can, with the “SQL Azure Tips and Tricks” lab.
  • One of the keys to working with data in SQL Azure is getting data into SQL Azure. There are several ways to do this (although some may seem non-conventional at the start). For this you can review the “Migrating Databases to SQL Azure” lab.
    A little midnight oil, a little sweat equity, and you’ll be well on your way to the Cloud!
    I’ll see you there.

Filed under Cloud

The TED Comment Acquisition System is Cool

January 2, 2012 Leave a comment

.. I’m sure there’s a better name. However, at the bottom of each video, you see:

image

IMHO .. that rocks.

Filed under Fun and Games

Building a Windows Azure Development Environment

January 2, 2012 2 Comments

Happily, this post has become irrelevant thanks to the New and Improved Microsoft Web Platform Installer (WebPI). That spiffy little kit interrogates your system for the proper dependencies and installs the Microsoft Web Stack, tools, SDKs and the like. To get started, click on the link.

Microsoft updated the Windows Azure Training Kit to June 2012 as well; you’ll find plenty of information therein .. especially labs using the new bits and highlighting the new features of the platform.

The content below is preserved for archive only:

As I’ve been working with some of the best and the brightest the WAISG has to offer, I think it’s time to provide a link to assist others in some Windows Azure 101 (a/k/a “Getting Started”) bits and pieces. In this post, I’ll cover setting up your development environment on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 system.

  • Make sure you have the current Service Pack for your operating system. The easiest way to do this is to click on the Orb (or Start, in WS2008R2) and type ‘Windows Update’. Windows Update will detect if your system is patched to current levels.
  • Install Visual Studio 2010 or Visual Studio 2010 Express (the free version). Be sure to check Windows Update again after installation (and rebooting) to ensure you have the current Service Pack (SP1) installed.
  • Using the Web Platform Installer, Install the Windows Azure SDK for .NET.
  • Visual Studio 2010 Express installs SQL Express by default, but your development environment may include a full (or development) version of SQL Server. In either case, check Windows Update for a current Service Pack for your version. The SQL Express management UI is a separate download: SQL Express Management Studio Express. If you have full SQL Server, the UI is included. For help running the UI, please see “Using SQL Server Management Studio” on MSDN.
  • Install the Windows Azure Training Kit. This kit is chock-full of information, tutorials and source code. The current version is “January 2012″. As this is updated frequently, I suggest you do the full install (about 500 mb) and install into a separate folder on your hard drive.
  • Get the additional bits you need for the labs. To do this, click on “Prerequisites.htm” in the folder you installed the Windows Azure Training Kit. This will start an application that will interrogate your system and advise any components you need for the labs you want to run.

:: whew ::    Only a few more steps (I promise).In order to use the local emulators:

  • Compute: You MUST run Visual Studio as an administrator (link to a Windows 7 Forum, but works for both W7 and 2008).
  • Storage: Your logged in user MUST be a member of the SQL Server sysadmin group (link to David Browne, who provides a script that does this for a local user .. as long as that local user is an administrator of the local system .. otherwise, contact your IT). This is required as the local user must be able to create databases for storage of Blobs, tables and Queues during development.

With these bits installed, you should be able to conquer any of the labs in the Windows Azure Training Kit with ease .. and speed your way into the Cloud!

I’ll see you there.

Filed under Architecture, Cloud

WAISG: Windows Azure Enablement Resources

December 2, 2011 1 Comment

So. Where have I been this past TWO months?

I am pleased to explain my whereabouts: I’ve joined the Windows Azure  Inside Solution Group. The WAISG is a business and technology enablement team devoted to accelerating the velocity of Windows Azure deployments worldwide.

Whew. Quite a mouthful, that. The program statement is worse .. but contains only one comma.

Our team supports 35 countries in 7 languages and will get you to the next step of your Windows Azure deployments. In a lot of cases, we’ll point you to public resources; in others, we’ll emulate and escalate as we need to get the job done with you.

We’re easy to reach: navigate to the Windows Azure home page at http://windowsazure.com and select the ‘Click to Chat’ bubble. We’ll pick up.

The best part: I get to work with some amazingly talented people, all of whom subscribe to my favorite quote: “When you stop learning, you stop growing”.

Let me tell you: this team is growing like mad .. collective brains learning from our customers and each other .. every day. It’s a great group, and one with whom I am proud to be guiding, mentoring and growing my own knowledge.

You’ll be hearing from us.

Filed under Cloud

So .. who misses me?

December 2, 2011 Leave a comment

Hell, I find that I do. I hope that you do, now and again.

This is the mea culpa “I am sorry I have not been writing” post. That said, I am sincere .. I really, really, really miss posting. This is a sincere apology to my readers and to myself.

What have I observed in the world since my last post? Well:

  • Republican madness
  • Democratic sadness
  • Regime changes
  • Organization re-arranges

And in me?

  • Growth: personal, and for those with whom I work.
  • Growth: personal, and for those with whom I live.
  • Assessment and re-assessment.
  • Growth.

Watch this space for the nuts and the bolts. Thanks for keeping me in your readers.

Filed under Fun and Games

But .. it’s only three hours ..

September 25, 2011 1 Comment

image

Whoops. Note the system time (upper right-hand corner) versus the BIG display time (the one I actually use) .. fortunately, the alarms appear to be connected properly.

I think I’ll set my night stand alarm .. just on case.

HTC Aria on ATT with 2.1.

Filed under Fun and Games, Mobile

Flash? Who needs Flash?

September 15, 2011 Leave a comment

Not Apple, and now, not Microsoft.

For background, Adobe Flash is a browser plug-in that enables rich media and rich user interfaces. Over time, we’ve all used it for YouTube videos, spiffy re-sizing menus and games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars.

In fact, Flash has been the de facto standard for rich UI over the past decade, eclipsing all others (including Silverlight .. the Microsoft entry in the space).

Ahh .. Silverlight. I barely knew ye.

That’s a lie: While at Microsoft, I worked diligently launching Silverlight 1.0, engaging worldwide partner adoption for early efforts. Painful, but we had some exciting, .NET-driven, browser-based applications adopting the plug-in playbook. The advantage: one code line .. developers could write code with known conventions, extending their .NET experience into a new, plug-in world.

I digress, therefore, I am.

For more background, here are a few, well-known fun facts (at least, in the developer community):

So. Mobile issues aside. The answer? HTML5.

HTML5 boasts a number of syntactical features (features and functionality that confirm to a language .. provided as part of a platform) .. which eliminates the need for a plug-in.

  • Want videos? Embed a <video"> tag .. built into HTML5, which includes position, height, width, codec, etc., etc. and etc.
  • Want absolute positioning? It’s there, built into HTML5.
  • Want SEO (Search Engine Optimization?). it’s built into HTML5.

If the operative term in all cases is: “built into ..”, suffice to say: it is.

Why do I bring this up? Well, TechCrunch (and a host of others) report: “The company announced today Microsoft Excises Flash And Plugins From Metro Internet Explorer In Windows 8”. The title of the article says it all: The shipping browser atop Windows 8 will not support (or need) vendor plug-ins.

This is significant .. remove the platform initiative, and you remove the need for developers to write to the platform.

Hey HTML5 developers: Start here, and here, and here.

Filed under Leap Frogs

Amazon: $185.00 for Shipping on a $15.20 order?

September 10, 2011 Leave a comment

Wow .. something is broken:

image

This is an order for 20 2GB USB flash drives .. Hunter keeps losing his. They are listed at $0.76 each .. PERFECT for my need.

But $185.00 shipping? Madness.

Where is the ‘cancel’ button?

Filed under Fun and Games

“Sunrise” Phase for the .XXX Top-Level Domain

September 6, 2011 Leave a comment

I posted “Your Brand in Triple-X (and I don’t mean “times three”)” upon hearing the .XXX (Adult Industry Domain Extension) TLD discussion was alive and well. Quite well, in fact .. looks like the TLD is moving into an early operational phase, called “Sunrise” by Network Solutions.

The “Sunrise” phase comes in three flavors, each requiring validation to proceed:

  • Sunrise AT – Adult Trademark Holders: Companies who hold trademarks for adult products and services and want first crack at the .XXX domain extension for their business. This group must plan to host a live web site and be able to prove product and service trademarks.
  • Sunrise B – Block for Trademark Holders: A block for companies who hold trademarks for products and services and want to protect their Trademark from getting a .XXX treatment. Think Microsoft.xxx or Google.xxx (wouldn’t sit well with the companies, I’m sure). This group is NOT intending to host a live web site using the .XXX TLD and must prove product and service trademarks.
  • Sunrise AD – Adult Domain Holders (Grandfathering): Companies who have current .com, .net, .etc., domains and want to claim the .XXX for their current site. This group must plan to host a live web site and be able to prove product and service trademarks.

I suspect the rub will be between the AT and AD groups .. I’m certain there are some product crossovers. Maybe we’ll even get WhiteHouse.com back!

Will be fun to watch. For more details, see the .XXX Pre-Registration page on Network Solutions.

Filed under Leap Frogs

‘Pottermore’ (mostly) Opens for Business

September 3, 2011 Leave a comment

“Mostly” because, Pottermore is only open to the first one million, invite-only Harry Potter fans. Sadly, I’m not among them.

I am a fan, though. I have (and have read) both the US and UK versions of the seven-book saga .. in hardback, no less. I have been known to be bemused at the differences between the two.

Pottermore seeks to engage readers and fans in an interactive world of wizards, witches, wands and more (I’m hoping for “wow” as well). The site will open to the public on October 18th, 2011, although public registration will begin earlier (details on the site).

Ms. Rowling describes the experience in the video below. Quite engaging.

Entertainment Weekly posts “Pottermore: First impressions of the new interactive Harry Potter Site“ .. I guess they got a Magical Quill.

Lucky buggers.

Filed under Fun and Games

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